Is there an alternative to iPhoto?

I am getting a tad annoyed with iPhoto and not being able to do various things in it. I know it organises everything well and I know it means I don't need to use finder etc but I would like the functionality of Picassa etc as well.

I wondered if there was a free or cheap app out there that would be a better photo manager, I don't really need to improve, upgrade the photos (ok I do but I haven't got round to that yet. )

I have checked Picassa and thats only for windows as is Adobe photo album.

iView Media may be the kind of thing you're looking for. iView Media is $49, while iView MediaPro is $199. You can get a 50% discount on either one if you're a student. QPict is another app you should look at. I haven't used either of these, but I've heard plenty of people say how much they like iView MediaPro.

I think its more that I have not played with it as much as I should have. So I have found what I wanted and thought it could not do.

Having said that, my only gripe is.

a. when you click on the library, it shows you all your photos on one screen. I would prefer a series of folders with names. This way I can avoid having my work photos appearing next to home ones, next to logos I have downloaded etc. Then again if there is a way to do this in iPhoto then I would be very happy.

But in general, I think its more that I need to get used to working in a different manner rather than anything else.

I have looked at the software mentioned and I will probably get my brother to give me one of these ones for Christmas.
Many thanks

a. when you click on the library, it shows you all your photos on one screen. I would prefer a series of folders with names.

Click to expand...

Go to 'View' and choose to see things as Rolls. This allows you to see 'rolls of film', basically the groups in which you imported those files, which might be folders of pictures or a batch from a camera.

You can choose to have the 'rolls' open or closed... Closed means that you won't see all of them and will make the application quicker to load.

You could also Keyword (using Batch) your Work ones so that you can have a Smart Album/Folder with all the Work ones and all the non-work ones in another.

a. when you click on the library, it shows you all your photos on one screen. I would prefer a series of folders with names. This way I can avoid having my work photos appearing next to home ones, next to logos I have downloaded etc. Then again if there is a way to do this in iPhoto then I would be very happy.

Click to expand...

Well, there's sort of two answers to this. An album is probably closest to what you're looking for. Click on the plus sign at the bottom left corner of the iPhoto window to make an album. Drag photos to the album to put them in it. If you click on the album in the source list, only photos in that album will be shown.

You can make named folders in iPhoto. Folders don't hold photos, they hold albums of photos. Think of folders like bookshelves that you can put photo albums on, but not loose photos. In the source list on the left side of the window, right click (or control-click) and select New Folder. You can also go to the File menu and select New Folder from there. Then you can drag photo albums into that folder. If you click on the folder, you'll only see photos that are in the albums in the folder. You can also click the disclosure triangle next to a folder to see subfolders and albums in it. Click on those to further narrow the display. I think folders may be a new feature in iPhoto 5, but I'm assuming that's what you're using.

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